30 in 30: Can Ohio State Keep Trending Up?

Ohio State made an East Coast fall ball swing last weekend that
included games versus Denver, Harvard, Towson, LaSalle, Stanford,
Georgetown and Virginia. This weekend, they'll host Marquette,
Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, and Duquesne. Oh, and they picked up
games against Midwest rivals Notre Dame and Northwestern back on
Sept. 29.

With 12 freshmen on the roster and an offensive unit gutted by
graduation, coach Alexis Venechanos needed the Buckeyes to have an
extensive fall ball schedule against a lot of different teams that
threw a lot of different looks at them.

"Our freshmen got to play against that high-pressure intensity.
There were six new faces on attack every time down there. We played
about three lines of midfielders, with four to five freshmen in all
the time," said Venechanos, who is in her third year as Ohio
State's coach.

The task of leading and organizing all those fresh faces,
especially on attack, falls to sophomore Jackie Cifarelli.
Cifarelli was second on the team in points (58) last season after
senior Alayna Markwordt (90). Markwordt graduated as the Buckeyes'
all-time career goals (181) and points (314) leader, and second
all-time in assists (133). The loss of the four-year starter, along
with fellow tri-captains Gabby Capuzzi and Kirsten Donahue, means
that 53 percent of Ohio State's 2012 goals are gone.

Cifarelli, who was primarily a feeder, is expected to go to goal
more as the Buckeyes' offense evolves in the post-Markwordt era.
She'll have support from Cara Facchina (17g, 11a) and Katie Chase.
Chase, a junior, has endured a series of nagging injuries that kept
her from being a full contributor in years past, but she is now
healthy and fit. Chase has the potential to become of the team's
best finishers, and is strong on off the circle on draws too.

There is also a smattering of Canadian players, such as
midfielder Cian Dabrowski and attacker Casey Lyons, who've found
their way to Columbus. (Venechanos is the head coach of the
Canadian senior team, although both Dabrowski and Lyons were
recruited before she got that position.)

"They're awesome. I love feeding to them. Their stick skills!
They catch everything. I can't even believe it," Cifarelli
said.

The new look on attack will be offset by its young but
experienced defense. Goalie Tori DeScenza started every game of her
freshman year, and defenders Heather Gravinese (26 GB, 15 CT) and
Tayler Kuzma (35 GB, 16 CT) were major contributors. All three are
sophomores.

"Kuzma is tremendous off ball. She looks like she's not working
as hard, because she's so smart off the ball," Venechanos said.

Cifarelli has found her teammates to be an excellent resource,
too. When she needs to figure out how to beat a particular defense,
Gravinese or Kuzma will stay after practice to give her the
scouting report on the best way to do it.

"I can't even explain how great they are. They worked so hard
and they helped so much. They give great advice and push me to do
better," Cifarelli said.

The Buckeyes had a modest 11-6 record last season, but there
were flashes of promise. They came within a goal of beating
Northwestern during the regular season, and used a stall to come
within a goal of beating Florida in Gainesville in the ALC
semifinal. Ohio State hasn't been to the tournament since its
back-to-back trips in 2002 and 2003. With the expanded field of 26
in 2013, it feels like a possibility, even with the loss of
Markwordt, Capuzzi and Donohue.

"We were so close last year. At first, it felt like we lost our
whole team, but we realized we only lost three starters," Cifarelli
said. "Our defense returns, our goalie returns, and great freshmen
midfielders came in. So it feels the same."